She
by generalquistis
Summary: Rufus ShinRa realizes something and decides to change things even it means losing everything. He writes a letter to someone from the enemy's side to prove that he could change...but it was already too late when she received it...
1. The Letter

She

By: General Quistis Trepe (generalquistis@yahoo.com)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story plot

------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

            He was rummaging through some folders that Elena had delivered into his office. The folders contained one or more documents about some of the most-wanted people of ShinRa, the powerful company that he inherited from his father when the old man kicked the bucket just days ago.

He sighed heavily as he leaned backward and let go of the folders, letting them drop carelessly on his big office table, unfortunately, one of the folders fell to the floor and the papers inside it scattered by his feet. "Rats," he thought miserably, feeling lazy to bend down and pick up everything. Fortunately for him, his pet Dark Nation was there with him, and one of the papers landed on her nose. The big panther-like animal quickly picked up the papers with her mouth and then walked quickly to her owner.

He smiled proudly at his pet. "Good, Dark Nation." He said before reaching for the first drawer and grabbed a treat to give to Dark Nation. He got the papers and put them on the table before throwing the treat up in the air, wanting Dark Nation to catch it. The panther-like animal caught it, snapping her jaws shut before gnawing on it. She started to purr, so he patted her head gently. 

If animals could really think, she would really think, "My, he's really a nice guy, how come everybody hates him?"

But unfortunately, all she could do was defend her master from those people who hate him.

With that, he leaned forward and decided to fix the papers and return them back to the folder, collating them, "Whose file is this, anyway?" he muttered, somewhat glad that no one else was there to see what he was doing. 

Finally, he came to the first page and he stopped as he caught a glimpse of the picture of a brunette pasted on the upper right hand corner of the document. His jaw literally dropped open and his eyes were wide open in awe as he stared at the picture. He could remember her from somewhere, but he was not sure where he had seen her… until he moved his gaze to the part where her name could be seen, typewritten clearly in big, bold letters, and he read her name softly, pronouncing her name in the most beautiful way he could, for in his opinion, she owns the most beautiful name he has ever seen: "Tifa Lockheart".

It was a simple, yet lovely name.

… "Right… and she's a member of AVALANCHE." He said aloud with a frown on his face before shutting the folder and placed it away together with the others.

Too bad, he had to remember who she is and where he had first seen her.

"No, it wasn't the time when I let them hear my inaugural speech…" he realized as he turned to Dark Nation who was still purring and rubbing her head against his foot. He bit his lower lip, trying to recall more things, then unconsciously, he got the folder again and opened it, looking at the details and reading each and every single thing about her silently, "Birthplace: Nibelheim…" he stopped, looking at the name of the place.

He turned to her picture again and smiled softly. 

He could recall seeing her from outside his bedroom window when he was still a little boy.

He envied her freedom and happiness, thinking what it would be like if he lived in the kind of life she has. His mother knew about his thoughts on her, but she did not prevent him from thinking about her. He recalled that he once told his mother that if she were a princess stuck inside a tower, he would like to be her Prince to save her and take her back to his own castle where they could live happily ever after.

He smiled at those memories before turning to the next page that was just behind the first page. Pictures of her as a little girl were there. 

…And for the first time in several years, he smiled happily as he realized that Tifa Lockheart was the same girl whom he had wanted to meet so long ago, but he did not know her name back then.

Then, remembering AVALANCHE, he stiffened. Suddenly, he was confused. He frowned as he sighed heavily. Then, he turned to Dark Nation and he had an idea. With that, he grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper and began to write something. "I have to change things…" he thought silently as his frown deepened while he continued to write the letter. "Sorry, dad. I'm playing by my rules now… not yours…" he muttered with a cold tone as he continued to write. After signing his name, he folded the letter into four and handed it to Dark Nation. 

She took it by mouth and stared up at her master, waiting for instructions. He smiled at her. "You know where to deliver it. Go." He said as he patted her head.

"Reorgh…" she responded eagerly with a happy purr before she ran off.

He looked up at the ceiling, noticing the gloominess of his office while recalling what he ordered everyone in his office what to do. "Where is AVALANCHE now?" he thought with an inquiring look on his face as he turned back to her picture. He removed her most recent picture from the first page and stared at it for a while. He smiled gently, but it was not enough. Only her true presence could make him smile more than that. With that, he placed the picture on the left breast pocket of his white blazer. 

He stood up, realizing that he already felt lazy to look at all the other files. "Besides, I have other things to do…" he trailed off when he sensed that something was definitely going to go wrong with his plans. His frown deepened as he headed by the window and began to view the dark atmosphere outside.

His eyes narrowed as his frown deepened, staring outside with an expressionless glare. His blue eyes had this blank expression as he tried to think of what was going on outside.

Danger.

He could sense danger, but something was making him feel, even if a little, eased. 

It was she…

He wanted to smile, but he could not. "Tifa," he thought silently as his frown deepened…

And suddenly, the whole place just exploded…

*** 

            It had been 4 days after she decided to separate from AVALANCHE. "After all, everything's over…" she thought miserably, remembering the day when Cloud was finally able to beat Sephiroth.

Upon returning back to her old home in Nibelheim, she passed by the well where she could recall making a "promise" to Cloud several years ago. She stopped by the well and peered inside, but it was too deep. She could not see what was really inside or how clean the water was. She sighed heavily as she realized something, "Just like my feelings for him… I couldn't see what's in store for me… like my future isn't bright with him…" with that, she moved away from the well. "Oh well… better get away… I might fall inside and then somebody who's mean enough can put a lid on it so that I'll die inside…" she thought with a silly smile on her face, remembering the moment when she wanted to push Cloud inside, down the well and leave him inside for being so silly. "After all, he loves Aerith, not me… why did it even take long for me to realize that? Man, I hate myself for waiting so long… Stupid me…" she muttered glumly as she walked down the road.

She looked down at the ground sadly as she finally realized, "What kind of fool I am? Nobody can love me because… I am nothing…" 

She could feel herself getting numb for thinking of such a thing. "Who was I kidding when I thought that he could love me? Heck, did I really even love him? It could just be a fling or a crush or… oh whatever… never mind… it doesn't matter now… I guess I'd better move on and… just live alone…" she thought miserably as she continued to walk uneasily, hugging herself when she felt the cold December afternoon breeze blowing against her.

She just stopped when she saw a big panther-like animal approaching her. It was carrying some paper in its mouth. She could recognize the animal, like she had seen it before. She gazed at the animal with wide eyes, curious on what it was doing in a place such as where they are.

She forced a smile, hoping that it would not harm her. "H…hi, Kitty." She greeted with a trembling tone.

Assuming that she was afraid, the Black Panther just dropped the paper on the floor. "Meowrgh," it told her. For her, it sounded… sad.

She slowly approached the panther and picked up the paper, unfolding it while keeping her eye on the animal. With a trembling hand, she began to read what was written on the paper:

_I've seen your face from afar_

_In a portrait of beauty and madness;_

_But I know, right then,_

_It's true,_

_That somehow I've adored you…_

_Though you may not know of my existence,_

_I have always wished on a star_

_That someday I can see you finally…_

_Somehow…_

_Just to know who you really are…_

She froze, suddenly not knowing how to react. The poem was lovely, full of expression. But, she could not bring herself to believe the reality when she read the signature: "Rufus ShinRa"

She wanted to faint, but she stopped herself when the panther-like animal began to rub its head against her leg. It began to meow like it was sad or something, but she did not know if it was just her imagination when she thought she saw tears glistening in the animal's eyes. "Chill out, Tifa. Cats can't cry," she told herself as she mindlessly bent down and patted the animal's head before she embraced it tightly.

The panther-like animal began to purr. 

Tifa smiled sadly as she caressed the animal's soft fur. "Dark Nation?" she asked, finally recalling the name of the animal.

"Meowrgh," the cat replied.

And Tifa began to cry…

-------------------------------------------------------------- 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just tell me if you'd like to have a continuation or more, okay? =) I need feedback before I do something else… ;_; Oh, and if you're curious, I originally wrote the poem and sent it to the "Rufus ShinRa" of my life. =)


	2. The Well

She

By: General Quistis Trepe

Author's Note: Here's a chapter two…

A note for my good friend Edea & cousin Xu: Hehehehehehehehehe….. :D *Seifer Almasy smirk* 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            She mindlessly walked the streets of Nibelheim, not even caring or thinking where to go next. Some of the much older citizens there could recognize her, but they did not bother to approach her because of the fact that when they tried greeting her, she just gave them a blank stare; looking at her tear-stained crimson eyes gave them the chills, for what reflected in those eyes was pure sorrow and despair over a lost love.

In her part, she still could not believe that someone whom she had hated so much had tried to love her. 

Dark Nation followed closely behind her, secretly wishing that her master was still there to comfort the sad young lady. "Meowrgh…" Dark Nation said as she looked up at the crying girl with long dark hair. Seeing the girl's hair covering the sides of her face and her eyes made the panther-like animal a little restless. 

Can she even see where she's going?

Dark Nation did not know, but for the other people who could see them, they looked like a duo composed of a crazy young lady and a big cat.

It scared them.

Dark Nation moved ahead of the young lady named Tifa Lockheart and blocked her way so that she would stop walking. "Meowrrr!" she made this noise, as if it was a command telling Tifa to stop.

And she did. She rose up her head a little and took at glance at the view before her. 

It was the well.

Had she been going around the whole town for the rest of the afternoon? She could not clearly remember. "Rufus," she whispered.

She felt so sorry for herself and for the President of ShinRa… the _dead_ President of ShinRa.

What a word, she thought. "Dead…" she mouthed silently as she avoided Dark Nation and continued to walk, heading for the well. 

From Dark Nation's view, Tifa seemed to be staggering to the well.

Her eyes looked so tired and a little red from crying too much. Her whole body felt numb.

She continued to walk until she reached the well… Dark Nation hoped that she would stop, but she did not. The sheet of paper where the poem was written was in her grasp all the way; until she carelessly let go of it and let it drop to the floor, letting the wind blow it away.

The horrified Dark Nation watched quietly as Tifa Lockheart fell inside the well………….

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 


	3. Recovery

She

By: General Quistis

Author's note: …No, this isn't like this: this story is about a letter, if you read it, you'll die in 7 days… and Tifa Lockheart will stagger out of the well, out of your TV set going to you and she's dressed in white and her hair's covering her face and then she'll kill you… no, it's not like that… you get what I mean? This is not a scary story… -.-

----------------------------------------------------

THREE: Recovery

            First it was darkness… then there was light. He could not see it because his eyes were shut, but he could feel it.

Light?

"Where would it even come from?" he thought in total confusion.

Then, his auditory senses began to return to him, and he could clearly hear voices instructing one another to do this and do that.

"Do what?" he thought mindlessly.

"Get him out of here! Take him to a hospital." Said a female's voice.

"I can't believe he's still breathing… and it's been several months already ever since we thought we'd lost him!" replied a man's voice that sounded a little slurred.

He could feel hands grasping his legs and his arms, and he felt himself being lifted up. 

Surprisingly, his reflexes returned and his eyebrow twitched, causing those people who were lifting him up to almost drop him. "I told you he's alive, let's take him to the nearest hospital," the female instructed.

"No, we can't take him to the hospital here in Midgar. They won't admit him. Kya~…" another female remarked.

"Then let's take him to Nibelheim. It's a small place; he will be safe there. Nobody must know that he's Rufus… for now." A man's voice said.

"Reeve, Elena, Scarlet and Reno…" he thought silently, though he cannot move. "Why can't I open my eyes?" he thought angrily to himself, feeling his heart racing.

The four placed him in the backseat of a small van. "Let's hurry up. He's bleeding to death." Reno told them.

Rude was not saying anything but he started the engine.

Rufus could feel the vehicle moving after he heard several doors shutting.

*** 

            It was quite a long trip to Nibelheim, but he had managed to make it through the whole trip alive. Before Reeve could get him out, he had managed to open his eyes.

Reeve was startled so he moved away a little. "P…President Rufus?" he asked, making sure.

Rufus moved his hand to his forehead and felt some blood. He looked at his hand and he raised an eyebrow when he saw too much blood. "I'm… I'm bleeding… my head…" he stammered in shock as he repeatedly touched his head.

"Let's get you inside, President Rufus." Reeve said as he and Elena helped him out of the car.

"Are you sure they'll let him inside this hospital?" Elena asked.

"They should!" Reeve stated flatly as he hurried up a little "Can you walk, sir?" he asked.

Rufus uneasily nodded his head as he staggered inside the hospital.

Scarlet was with a nurse and a doctor. "Here he is," she said to the two.

Rufus stared at the doctor and then at the nurse before he felt so dizzy that he could not stand up anymore.

"My God… he's losing too much blood… go get the team,"

Those were the last words he heard from the doctor before he collapsed.

*** 

            He woke up moments later, feeling so much better. He gazed around and he was inside this big hospital room. He looked down at his left arm and he realized that a blood transfusion was being done to him. He could feel the bandages wrapped tightly around his head, his legs and his right arm. "Oh man…" he moaned uneasily.

Elena looked at him from where she is seated. "Oh, President Rufus! You're awake!" she said cheerfully as she got up and ran to him. "How do you feel now?" she asked.

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "They let me in?" he asked in disbelief.

Rude and Elena exchanged confused glances. "Of course, they let you in, President Rufus… it's part of their service: to heal people." She replied with a silly smile on her face.

Rufus looked away. "I thought they wouldn't… because I'm a ShinRa." He thought miserably, deciding that he would not say it out loud to prevent further arguments.

"How long has it been?" he asked, remembering when he saw the clock and the calendar on the bedside table.

"3 months, sir." Elena replied.

"I thought Reeve, Scarlet and Reno were with you?" he asked, turning back to them.

"They had to leave so that they could talk to some carpenters, architects and engineers and the other construction people about the rebuilding of your mansion here in Nibelheim, sir." She replied with a pleased look on her face.

Then, Rufus's eyes grew wide when he realized something. He was wearing the hospital gown. He almost got up, but Rude and Elena held him down, refusing to let him stand up. "President Rufus, what's wrong?" Elena asked in panic.

Rufus frowned at them. "Where are my clothes?" he demanded with too much force in his voice which made the two jerk and let go of him.

"We… we hung it inside the closet over there… we'll have it dry-cleaned later on when the others return. Why?" Elena asked.

"Wh…where are the…" Rufus trailed off when Rude spoke up, "The stuff in the pockets?"

Elena and Rufus turned to him with questioning looks on their faces. 

Rude pulled out a white handkerchief and a picture of a lady from his pocket and handed everything to Rufus. Rufus took those with his right hand since it was the only one that could move freely despite the bandages. He ignored his handkerchief but he stared at the picture and smiled. 

Elena recognized the girl in the picture and she blinked, frowning curiously, "Is that who I think she is?" she asked.

Rufus did not answer, he just continued to stare at the picture.

Elena and Rude exchanged troubled looks. "Eh… President Rufus," the former began, but she stopped when Reno entered with a proud smile on his face. "They're starting to reconstruct the mansion… oh he's awake?" he asked.

Rufus ignored him. He just stared at the picture.

Reno approached him, keeping an eye on the picture. "Hey, President Rufus, what's up?" he asked.

Rufus did not speak. He just continued to stare at the picture.

When Reno saw it, his mouth dropped open in awe. "Isn't that Strife's girlfriend who fell inside the well two days ago?" he asked.

Rufus's eyes grew wide in shock as he turned his gaze to Reno. "What?" he demanded with a low but stiff tone.

Elena and Rude swallowed hard. "We tried to tell you but…" she stammered.

Rufus dropped the picture and grabbed Reno's hand. "Did you say Strife?" he demanded angrily.

Reno was stunned. "Well… she appears to be so…" he stammered uneasily, seeing the angry look in the President's eye.

"And what happened to her?" Rufus asked with a sneer.

"She… fell inside a well…" Elena stammered with fear in her eyes.

The next thing the Turks knew, President Rufus ShinRa was already being given some tranquilizer…

------------------------------------------------------ 

-end for now- 


	4. Dark Nation

She

By: General Quistis

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

FOUR: Dark Nation

            The black panther-like animal sat down quietly by the window, as if like a human being looking outside. She had this stiff posture, like the royal cat she was trained to be… She gazed blankly at the view outside, and if we could share her thoughts, she would be thinking of the things that happened for the past two days… 

She was interrupted when she heard the door opening, so she instantly turned to the door, but was quite relieved when she saw that it was just the nurse.

The nurse smiled at her. "Hello there, kitty cat." The male nurse said.

Dark Nation uttered a low "Meowrr…"

The female doctor entered after the male nurse and smiled at Dark Nation. "Oh, so she's the one with the girl?" she asked.

"Yes, Doctor… I believe she's hers." The nurse replied.

Dark Nation watched quietly as the nurse and the doctor walked to one corner of the room where a young girl with long dark hair was seated in a couch by the bed. She was staring into empty space, her eyes looking so blank and weary at the same time. Her long dark hair almost covered her face as her head bowed down slowly. 

The doctor patted her shoulder gently. "Hello, Tifa," she greeted.

Dark Nation bent her head to one side as she observed what Tifa would do.

She did nothing.

Dark Nation bowed down her head and walked out of the room slowly, heading down the hall. Surely enough she was still thankful that the hospital does not have any rules about not allowing animals to enter the premises. 

She continued to go down the hallway until she stopped when she recognized a very familiar scent which made her nose and ears twitch. Quickly, she followed the scent until it led her to the section of the hospital where the rich people were to be confined. Her heart began to beat faster as she continued to follow the scent. "Meowrgh…" she uttered softly when she finally reached the end of the hallway. She turned to her right and saw a door. She approached it and began to pound it with her right paw. "Meowrgh, meowrgh!" she repeatedly made some noise until somebody opened the door.

It was Reno. "Dark Nation?" he said in awe.

Dark Nation ran past him and ran to the bed where Rufus was lying down, eyes closed and sleeping soundly. Dark Nation climbed on the chair by the bed to get a better view of her master. "Meowrgh…" she said before rubbing her head against Rufus's cheek. "Meowrgh…" she began to purr, as if saying, "I'm glad you're alive!"

Elena went to Dark Nation and stroked her fur. "It's okay, Dark Nation. Your daddy's safe." She assured with a smile.

"Meowrgh?" Dark Nation turned to her with an inquiring look in her eyes, but turned to the bedside table with a curious look. The picture was there. In one swift motion, Dark Nation grabbed it in her mouth and rushed outside. "Oh no…" Elena ran after her, thinking that if Rufus wakes up without the picture, he'd throw a fit again. 

Dark Nation continued to run, making sure that Elena was following close behind her.

"Dark Nation! Come back here! Do you want Rufus to get angry?" Elena demanded with a worried look in her face.

Dark Nation kept on running and stopped only when she arrived back at the room where Tifa Lockheart was. She headed for Tifa who was still seated on the couch, staring into empty space. 

Elena stopped in her tracks when she saw the woman with Dark Nation. She slowly approached Dark Nation and that was the time when the panther-like animal handed her back the picture. Elena's eyes grew wide when she recognized who the woman was. "Oh my God…" she said in disbelief.

Dark Nation rubbed her head against Tifa's knee. "Meowrgh…" she uttered softly before purring.

Tifa slowly looked up at Elena with wide crimson eyes. It made Elena jerk and take a few steps backward. 

"Who are you?" Tifa asked softly.

Elena's mouth dropped open, then turned to the picture, and then back to Tifa. "I… I…" she stammered, not knowing how to answer the question. 

She was interrupted when the nurse entered with a tray of food. "Oh hello there, miss. Are you Miss Lockheart's friend or a member of her family?" he asked with a kind smile as he placed the tray of food on top of the bedside table.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "I'm… a friend of hers. I just learned about the incident but… what really happened, I don't know…" she stammered uneasily.

Tifa looked away and began to mutter some words "_I've seen your face from afar in a portrait of beauty and madness…_"

Elena frowned slightly and then turned to the nurse. He was shaking his head in pity as he examined the young woman's present state. "She's been muttering that poem ever since she woke up… I don't know why… but at least the poem's really beautiful…" he said with a sad smile on his face before turning back to Elena. "We were able to save her but we supposed that she hit her head against the insides of that well when she fell or while she was falling; we're not really sure."  He explained sadly.

"You mean she has amnesia?" Elena asked, her voice trembling.

"Meowrgh," Dark Nation chimed in, as if answering the question.

Elena turned to Dark Nation. "I…is that her cat?" she asked the nurse.

"We don't know… but people who had seen Tifa were claiming that that animal's been with her, following her around before the incident happened. Some folks even said that the animal carried a message in its mouth and gave it to Tifa, and after she read it, she just cried and then suddenly, she started walking around the town, this black animal following her around. But I tell you this cat is very smart. After Tifa fell inside, she ran and went to the nearest house, catching the attention of some village folk. She made them follow her and led them to the well until they found out that there was this young woman inside the well." He explained as he patted Dark Nation's head.

Elena scanned dark Nation and raised her eyebrow. "You did that?" she asked, hardly believing it.  

"Meowrgh," Dark Nation replied with a snobbish look in her eyes.

Elena remembered that the nurse mentioned something about the message. "What… you mentioned something about a message…" she stammered as she turned back to him.

"It looked like a letter. Nobody knows where it is right now," he replied as he turned to Tifa. "Hey, Miss Lockheart. It's time for your dinner." He said with a kind smile.

Tifa just looked at him with a blank stare.

His smile faded as he patted her head. "C'mon, don't look at me like that. You're beginning to scare me." He told her gently.

Elena came closer to Tifa and stared closely at her face. 

She looked haggard and too weak to even speak to her, but she tried asking anyway, "Do you remember AVALANCHE?" she asked softly.

The nurse studied Elena.

Tifa slowly turned her gaze to Elena. "You mean snow from the mountains?" she asked softly.

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Meowrgh…" Dark Nation meowed softly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 


	5. Her Wounded Hands

She

By: General Quistis Trepe (generalquistis@yahoo.com)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIVE: Her Wounded Hands

Elena turned to Dark Nation, then to Tifa, then to the nurse. "It's okay, sir. I'll be the one to feed her." she said with a sweet smile on her face.

The nurse nodded. "Alright. I'll leave the two of you here for a while. Shall I leave this door open?" he asked.

Elena thought for a while then frowned slightly. "Yeah, leave it open. I might need your help… but wait a minute," she said as she got the nurse's hand and pulled him by the door. "Are you sure it's only amnesia? Like she's not crazy or anything?" she asked.

"What made you think of that?" he asked.

"The way she's acting…" she replied, keeping a cautious eye on Tifa, whose head just bowed down again, making some of her hair fall in front of her face, covering it. 

The nurse sighed heavily. "Actually, she needs to undergo some special treatment or therapy, but we don't know anyone who could help her because it would require more than 20,000,000 Gil." He explained in a whispery tone.

Elena's eyes grew wide as she turned back to the nurse. "20 Million?! You gotta be kidding me!" she said in disbelief.

"Yep. That's how expensive things are right now. She also needs medicines to drink and consultations and check-ups… plus x-rays to make sure that her brain and lungs are okay." He explained.

"Why, what's wrong with her brain and lungs?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"She had more than a gallon of water in her lungs when we found her and we had to take it out immediately. She wasn't able to breathe and… there could be some serious damages to her brain. You could ask her neurologist about it if you want. I only read some of the details from her file." He explained sadly.

Elena raised an eyebrow as she turned her gaze to Tifa. "Never mind… just hearing things from you made things worse…" she said glumly.

"Well, we could put her in the charity ward to lessen the expenses," he suggested.

"No one's putting her in the charity ward as long as I am here, okay? What makes you think that she can't pay her bills here?" she asked with a snobbish tone.

Dark Nation's ears twitched, sensing that Elena was planning something.

Elena just shut the door after she made the nurse go away, then she headed for Tifa and sat down on the other chair facing her. For a few seconds, she just stared at the poor girl. 

Tifa was not saying anything; she just kept her head bowed down, her hair still covering her face and her hands placed on her lap. 

Silence.

Elena was about to say something, but she stopped herself when she saw Tifa's head move up, and finally, the girl made eye contact with her. 

Elena could barely see Tifa's crimson eyes through some hair strands, but she could clearly feel the need for questioning coming from her eyes. "Have you seen Rufus?" she asked softly, her voice sounded almost like a whisper.

Elena stared at her for a while, unbelievably. "She actually spoke up… and why is she asking for President Rufus?" she thought in panic.

Tifa slowly reached out for Elena's hands with her own trembling hands. Elena looked down at Tifa's hands and saw the wounds and scratches on it which made her cringe. 

The brunette had tear-stained eyes. "Do you know his words? The words he had written for me? It's like… he spoke from the dead… and he's… he's alive and… I never thought that somebody like him could…could say those lovely words…" she said with a trembling voice and a weak smile.

Elena's eyes grew wide "Written for you?" she asked.

Tifa nodded, finally letting her tears fall, "_I've seen your face from afar in a portrait of beauty and madness…_" she cited. "That's what he wrote… those were the two lines… and they were very beautiful…" Tifa explained as she slowly let go of Elena's hands.

Elena looked down at her own hands where Tifa had held them and her eyes grew wide in surprise when she saw that there were traces of blood on them. Her mouth dropped open as she reached for Tifa's hands and examined the palms and the back of her hands. 

There were wounds…

Tifa's crimson eyes finally released the tears and they fell uncontrollably. 

Dark Nation bowed down her head and turned away, not being able to take the crying.

Elena got up and went to the door. Not even bothering to look back at Tifa, she got out of the room and shut the door. She leaned against the door and covered her mouth to stop herself from reacting. The nurse was still there, standing nearby.

Elena rushed to him and collared him. "Why are there wounds on her hands?" she demanded with a tough tone.

The nurse just looked at her. "Didn't you feel her pulse?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded angrily.

"Those wounds will not heal anymore." He told her.

She let go of him. "What do you mean?" she asked with wide eyes.

Then, the doctor arrived from the other hallway. It turned out that she was listening to the conversation. "Strangely, Tifa Lockheart is dead. But she is still here."

Elena's mouth dropped open and she felt goosebumps all over her body when she heard that.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 


	6. Lifeless

She

By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com)

-------------------------------------------------------------------- 

SIX: Lifeless

            Elena marched to the doctor as her frown deepened. "What the hell are you talking about?" she asked in annoyance, feeling confused. "Are you trying to tell me that I just talked to a puppet or a ghost?" she demanded.

The doctor shook her head. "I don't know… but why don't you ask Dr. Hojo? Aren't you from ShinRa?" she asked with a stiff look on her face.

Elena's eyes narrowed. "Hojo is dead. Yes, I am from ShinRa and I am demanding you to explain to me what happened to the girl inside that room!" she commanded angrily.

The doctor was quiet for a while, but she decided to speak up with a solemn tone. "That girl fell inside a well with contaminated water. Nobody uses that well anymore because we all know that that water is dangerous. Dr. Hojo used that water for his experiments: reviving a person. However, the person is alive only physically but that person would not have a soul anymore. You have to fetch the soul manually from the Lifestream."

Elena clenched her fists before she turned away from them. "Lifestream?" she asked. Then, she turned back to the doctor with a fake smile on her face. "Manually? Lifestream? Are you sure? How would you know? You're not even Hojo." She pointed out with a sarcastic tone.

The doctor shook her head. "I just know… I was once his assistant… I know his procedures and styles. To disapprove or cancel his theories, you have to do the impossible." She advised before she turned and walked away.

The nurse left Elena there as he entered Tifa's room.

Elena slowly made her way back to Rufus's room and by the time she arrived there, Reno, Scarlet, Rude and Reeve were already there, seated by Rufus's bed.

The four turned their curious gazes to Elena, and upon noticing her blank look, Reno spoke up with an inquiring look on his face, "Where have you been? Where is Dark Nation?"

Elena staggered to him and placed the picture of Tifa Lockheart on Rufus's hand.  "She's with… with Tifa Lockheart." She said softly.

The four were surprised. "You mean she's alive?" Reeve asked in disbelief.

Elena fell on a sitting position on the empty couch beside Reno. "In…In a sense… in a sense, she is alive…" she stammered nervously.

"What do you mean?" Rude asked, finally speaking up.

All eyes turned to him, and Elena spoke up with a sad smile. "Blame it all on Hojo… you know, his blasted experiments resulting in unwanted results… it's a good thing that he's dead now or President Rufus could kill him once he finds out that because of Dr. Hojo's experiments, Tifa Lockheart is already like a zombie! You know that well where she fell in? It has the contaminated water which Hojo used for his experiment! It's supposed to revive a person one that person gets in contact with that water… unfortunately, Tifa was the one who…" she could not continue anymore. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes. "Damn it… I don't even know why I bother. But I pity the poor girl. You should see her hands and her eyes; the way she stares at you…and the way her hair falls in front of her face… and hear the words that she speaks to everyone… it's friggin' scary!" she reasoned in panic.

Everyone was quiet. "Well… what can we do?" Reeve asked with a concerned look on his face.

Elena sighed heavily and put down her hands on her lap. "Her soul's in the Lifestream and how the hell are we supposed to fetch it?" she asked.

"Why would you want to help that bitch?" Reno snapped with a raised eyebrow.

"You should watch your words, Reno. If Rufus hears that, he's gonna shoot your brains out!" Elena snapped angrily.

"Because President Rufus needs her, that's why." Rude argued.

All eyes turned to him. Elena scanned him from head to toe. 

"Earth to Rude? Hello? Are we hearing those words from you? You who has a crush on that girl?" Reno said as he approached Rude and began to knock on his bald head.

Rude shoved Reno's hands away from his head and crossed his arms. "There is not time to doubt me; but as a loyal Turk, it is part of my fidelity to ShinRa; I just want President Rufus to be happy." He explained with a slight smile on his face, which was very unusual for him.

They were silent for a while. "You're right… how are we supposed to fetch her soul from that Lifestream?" Scarlet said softly as she eyed the sleeping President carefully with a disappointed look on her face.

They were all silent until Reno spoke up again with a frown on his face. "I'd like to see that girl." He said as he headed for the door, but Elena stopped him. "Wait!" she ran to him. "I'll go with you." She said softly as she caught up with him.

Reno examined the looks on everybody's faces before he opened the door and finally got out with Elena.

After the door had closed behind them, Rufus opened his eyes and he was frowning. From the look on his face, they realized that he heard everything from the start. He turned his gaze slowly to Rude. Rude stiffened upon Rufus's gaze. "H…Hi, Prez. How are you feeling?" he greeted with a shy smile.

Rufus's eyes narrowed at him. "You tell me how I'm feeling. How do you think I'm feeling, hah?" he challenged with a mean look in his eyes before he quickly got up and pulled out all the I.V.'s from his body and which connected his body to a machine. He immediately jumped out of bed before Reeve, Rude and Scarlet could seize him and make him lie down again. He rushed to the door and got his white trench coat from the coat hanger by the door and immediately got out. The three were stunned because of his sudden recovery. "He's…he's okay, I guess…" Rude stated flatly before they finally decided to run after him.

*** 

            As they gazed upon her unusual beauty, they felt very afraid and nervous at the fact that such a person like her exists. She eerily gave out blank stares at them as they continued to stare at her, while Reno gently took her hand and began to feel for any pulse.

He could not feel anything. He pushed the hair away from her face to take a better look at her face and her eyes. "Answer me, do you know who I am?" he asked.

She just stared at him. 

Reno gently tapped her cheek with the back of his hand. "Hey, Tifa," he said.

Elena held him back. "Stop it. You're not supposed to force her to answer." She said.

Dark Nation just closed her eyes and turned away from the three.

He sighed and looked at Elena. "There's gotta be a way to find out if she's really infected by Hojo's stupid experiment or not! I mean, her body should be decomposing by now! I don't see maggots crawling out of her nostrils or something. She could still be alive!" he stated with a nervous look on his face.

Elena crossed her arms and sat down on the other couch facing Tifa. "I don't know about you, Reno… but… how could we know?" she asked.

Reno thought for a while. "Maybe she'll remember something once we show her some violence of some sort… you know," he told her with a smile.

Dark Nation growled which made the two Turks jerk and change their minds.

Tifa closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Reno saw the gashes on her knuckles and it made him cringe a little. "Oh man, what's inside that well anyway?" he said aloud as he took her hands and tried to make her to stop clenching them.

"Why don't you go inside there and see for yourself?" Tifa muttered under her breath as she gazed up at him with a cold look on her face.

This surprised the two of them and it made Reno let go of her and move away with a look of awe in his face.

"It's so dark and it's so scary down there… water was all over me… I could feel myself drowning and I couldn't breathe… I thought that somebody placed a lid on top of it because… because I couldn't see anymore… it was so deep and… and… there was water everywhere… and it's so dark and scary… and I was so afraid… and … and… and… and he came…" she slowly smiled as tears fell from her eyes. "…he came…" she told them as she stood up and went to Elena, took her hand in hers and knelt down before her. "He came! He saved me! He's the only reason why I'm still alive… He's the only reason why I'm here… I know that this is madness, but he's my reason for breathing even if the darkness was blinding… and… he saved me… he's the reason why I'm alive… but… then …" her smile faded away. "But… he was gone… and there was light again… and then I could see again… and the madness was gone…" she loosened her grip until she let go of Elena. "…and then I was here…" she said softly.

Reno's mouth was open in awe as he listened to Tifa.

Dark Nation was staring at her.

Elena's eyes were wide in confusion as she began to feel the area just right above Tifa's left breast with a trembling hand. She gasped and withdrew her hand. "Oh my God…" she said. Then, she tried to feel any pulse but she couldn't. "How could this be?" she asked aloud.

"What? What's going on?" Reno asked.

Elena swallowed hard. "Her…her heart is beating… but there's no pulse… how could this be?" she said in confusion.

"WHAT?!" Reno cried out in disbelief. 

Tifa bowed down her head, her hair finally covering her face again. She slowly moved backward and stopped when the door opened.

Elena, Reno and Dark Nation were stunned. Their eyes were wide in surprise and confusion.

Tifa slowly turned her head to the door… and there he was, standing there; panting from all the running he did. She moved up her head a little so that she could get a better view of him. 

"R…Rufus?" she asked softly.

Rufus eyed her carefully, quite shocked at her appearance. He instantly saw the wounds on her hands and he swallowed hard, trying to fight back the anger for the person who was responsible for this. He thought that if she was still there but she was like a zombie, she would be better off dead… and that would be the same for him. "Maybe we're better off dead…" he thought. But he knew better, so he slowly approached her as she staggered slowly to him, until finally, he caught her in his arms and gave her a tight but loving embrace.

More tears fell from her eyes as she smiled gently and buried her face against his chest.

He ran his fingers through her long hair as he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. "You're here…" he told her softly.

She closed her eyes. "I am because you are." she replied…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Author's note: Do you see a symbolism here? ;) If you didn't catch it or you didn't get it or understand it… well, I'll be explaining it within the story later… =)


	7. All But Love Is Dead

She

By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com) or (generalquistis@hotmail.com)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

SEVEN: All But Love Is Dead

            After the restoration of the ShinRa Mansion, President Rufus ShinRa finally decided to come back and live there once again. 

As he got down from the car, he observed as Rude and Reeve opened the main front doors of the mansion, then he turned back to the car and stepped aside but stooped down as he looked inside and offered his hand to the girl wearing a maroon floral sundress with black roses as prints. Her crimson eyes turned to him, examining his gentle smile. "Welcome to your new home," he said gently.

She slowly moved her bandaged right hand to his until he finally grasped hers gently. He helped her out of the car. "Are you sure you can walk properly?" he asked with a concerned tone.

Tifa looked up into his eyes, and upon seeing the reassuring look that she is going to be alright, she nodded with a slight smile on her face. As she got out of the car, she stared up at the big house standing before her. She blinked twice before turning her gaze to Rufus who was looking at her curiously. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "This is my new home?" she asked softly.

He smiled gently as he gazed lovingly at her. 

Elena flashed Tifa a reassuring smile, so did Rude.

Tifa nodded at them then turned back to Rufus. "Yes, it is. From now on, you will stay here with me," he told her gently.

She just stared at him, then turned back to the street outside the Mansion. Her eyes still reflected some blankness but Rufus wished that he could see life in them even just for once.

"Let's go inside so that you could rest." She was interrupted when she heard his voice telling her that. 

She instantly spun her head to his direction and to his surprise, he saw that her eyes were wide. He raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is there anything wrong?" he asked.

She just shook her head.

Reno watched quietly from one side of the door as Rude and Reeve escorted Tifa and Rufus inside the house.

_Why don't you go inside there and see for yourself?_

He shuddered when he recalled Tifa Lockheart telling him that upon asking what was inside that well. 

"Is there something wrong, Reno?" Elena asked as she approached him. He shrugged. "Nothing much… she just bothers me… the way her eyes are looking at us… it's just plain creepy." He told her.

Elena snickered. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Reno! I know that she acts like a zombie but look at the bright side! I think there's some hope that we could let her soul come back to her body without us fetching it in the Lifestream, you know?" she explained in almost a whisper as she smacked his back with her right hand. He almost fell forward, but he maintained his balance. "Ow! Watch it!" he frowned slightly as he narrowed his eyes on her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Elena waited until Rufus finally went upstairs with Tifa. "Don't tell me he's putting her in his room?" she asked Reno with a silly smile on her face.

"Nah. He had one room reserved for her… it's on the second floor beside the room where… where President ShinRa killed the First Lady…" Reno explained rather uneasily. Then, he realized that they were already off-topic. "And back to the question…" he began.

"Oh yeah…" Elena shoved her hands inside the pockets of her slacks. "It's like this… knowing that old Hojo, he's a little deranged… and because of his deranged brain, he could do things which are really very unexpected of a scientist from this epoch. I am just certain that the formula he placed inside that well is not permanent but only temporary… it could just wear off in several days or so, but at least it will be gone!" she told him with a smile on her face.

Reno was quiet for a while then spoke up with a hesitant tone, "How could you say that? You've got any proof?" he asked.

"It's just a theory that I thought of after I found out that her heart was still beating but there was no pulse, and she's supposedly brain-dead according to her medical records… her lungs and her other internal organs aren't functioning properly." She explained.

"Or maybe you could put it this way…" Scarlet started as she approached them.

Reno and Elena exchanged annoyed looks. "You're eavesdropping again?" the latter demanded.

Scarlet just frowned at them and then turned to Reno. "Isn't it that she _loves_ President Rufus?" she asked with a sly smile on her face.

"Yeah, and so?" Reno asked impatiently as he scratched his head.

Scarlet's sly smile widened. "It could happen that you could destroy every single emotion inside of that poor girl until they die and make her crazy… but you could never stop a person from loving someone… you can't kill that one single feeling. That's what keeping her alive… do you get my point?" she asked.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "How the hell did you come up with that thought?" she asked as she smiled unbelievably at her.

"Yeah… of all people… how could you even think of such a thing?" Reno demanded as he crossed his arms.

Scarlet just shrugged. "Kyahahahahahahaha~! You don't know much about me, do you, Turks?" she asked as she flicked their noses one by one with her index finger before she walked away from them, still laughing.

Reno snorted as he looked away from Scarlet. "That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" he told Elena gruffly.

Elena was silent and then smiled slowly at Reno. "But it makes sense to me…" she said before she flicked Reno's nose with her index finger, giggled and then went inside the house, leaving Reno stunned.


	8. Inside the Well

She

By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com) or (generalquistis@hotmail.com)

-------------------------------------------------- 

EIGHT: Inside the Well

            Tifa gazed outside her window and watched silently as some of the townsfolk entered their houses after a hard day's work. It was already 5:30 in the afternoon and the sun was already beginning to set. Her eyes began to brighten up a little as she caught a glimpse of the orange skies… then they became blank again. She moved her hands, touching the glass by the bright setting sun and she frowned angrily at herself as she clawed mindlessly on the glass by the setting sun. "How come the sun doesn't blind me? How come I don't feel any pain in my eyes whenever I am staring at the sun? What is happening to me?" she thought angrily as tears began to form in her eyes. She sniffed and bit her lip as she stopped clawing at the window and then quickly, she removed the bandages around her hands and saw the still fresh wounds and gashes all over them. She clenched her fists, trying to feel any pain, but there was none. She began to feel her own pulse but she could not feel any. Her vision began to blur because of the tears and she sobbed quietly before she took a step backward and then finally punched the glass of the window. 

Her eyes grew wide when she felt the shards pierce through her skin and caused some to create scratches on her face, her neck and more on her hands and arms. She withdrew her trembling hand from the broken window and took a few more steps backward before she ran to the other window, opened it and jumped off.

*** 

            "What was that?" Rufus demanded as he ran into Elena and Reno.

"It came from the second floor, sir!" Elena announced.

Rufus was silent for a while, but his eyes grew wide in astonishment when he realized who was the only person in the second floor. "Tifa." He mouthed before he pushed the two aside and rushed upstairs.

"President Rufus!" The two Turks ran after him.

When Rufus got inside Tifa's bedroom, the sight of the broken window and the shards of glass were too much for him. He became enraged and he really wanted to kill Hojo again if ever they could revive him. "NO!" he rushed to the window and looked outside. He felt a gush of the cold afternoon air hit his face and it made him shiver… and from where he is, he could recognize the girl wearing the maroon floral sundress with long dark hair, staggering down the street, leaving some trail of blood on the ground. He wanted to scream because of the frightful sight he just saw. He did not know why he suddenly felt so afraid of her and what could happen to her. "He turned her into a monster!" he realized quietly as he felt the room spinning around him. He took several steps backward to the door, keeping his eyes on the window. "But I have to save her…" he whispered softly, confusing Elena and Reno. It made them feel alarmed when he just bolted out of the room and rushed down the stairs without saying anything more to them.

Elena ran after him. "President Rufus! Where are you going?!" she called out.

Reno's eyes were wide in confusion as he headed for the lounge where the others stayed to inform them that there is an emergency and they should act quickly.

*** 

            Rufus continued to run but he didn't know where Tifa went. "Where are you…" he thought silently as he began to feel so nervous. "TIFA!" he called out desperately. As he continued to run and gaze around the place, somewhat shocking the other citizens of Nibelheim upon seeing the young President running around the streets with a disturbed expression on his face. "TIFA!" he continued to shout her name, but he couldn't hear an answer.

He stopped when Dark Nation suddenly sprung out of nowhere. "Nation! Where is Tifa?" he demanded.

"Meowrgh!" she replied, as if urging him to follow her. She began to run going to the opposite direction, keeping a steady but fast pace, enough for Rufus to catch up with her.

"Where is she taking me?" he thought quietly with a troubled look on his face as he slowly realized that the black panther was leading him to a place which he had dreaded so much… 

The well.

He stopped running and so did Dark Nation when they saw Tifa removing the lid from the well. After she did so, she looked inside. 

Rufus, thinking that she was going to jump in, rushed to her. "NO! Tifa, what are you doing?!" he demanded with a nervous tone as he grabbed her and tried to take her away from the well, but she was struggling, until he felt himself leaning against the well. 

When Tifa saw that he was close to the well, she smiled at him and jumped up at him, giving him a sweet kiss…

…and the next thing that Rufus discovered, he and Tifa were falling inside the well…

---------------------------------------------------- 

Author's note: Oh man… this is getting creepy… *shudder*……. No, Tifa isn't crazy. There's just something inside the well… oh, you'll find out what it is… :)


	9. Love Lives

She

By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com)

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own anything……………..

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. It's so ironic for me to write happy endings when I'm so very broken-hearted right now… ;_; But here goes… I'm sorry if it's too short… but it's full of meaning. =')

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

NINE: Love Lives

            Rufus could feel the coldness of the air around him and the dampness of the surroundings. He could recall being so afraid and so confused, but he instantly forgot everything when he felt someone touching his face and whispering his name in the most loving way he has ever heard. He slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to see Tifa holding him, trying to support him so that he would not sit by himself and sink down into the water. He wanted to move away because he was surprised upon realizing that he was inside the well, but she held on tight to his arms, trying to keep him still. "Shh. Don't move. The ground is filled with grime, you might slip and the water is very dirty." She told him with a concerned look on her face.

He stood up properly and he found out that the water level was only up to his waist. He looked around them as he moved his hands up to her arms and gently squeezed them. "What were you doing back then? I know that people are telling me that you are crazy but I don't believe them…" he trailed off when he noticed her crimson eyes. They did not look blank anymore. "…or are you?" he asked with a challenging look on his face.

She shook her head. "I don't think it's crazy if you love someone so much," she said as she gazed up into his eyes with a gentle smile on her face.

The dimness of the place made it hard for Rufus to realize that Tifa was holding a piece of paper that was dripping dirty and murky water on his white coat, but when he did notice it, he let go of her arms and gently grabbed her left hand that was holding the paper. "What's this?" he asked.

She just smiled at him as he tried to read what was written despite the dimness of the place. He narrowed his eyes as he read the first two lines, "_I've seen your face from a far in a portrait of beauty and madness_…" and recognized his own handwriting and his own words. He slowly turned his gaze back to Tifa and he saw something shine from her eyes falling down her cheeks. She was crying… but they were tears of joy.

Rufus's hard and cold expression suddenly softened and all he could do was reach for her and take her in his arms and embrace her as tightly and as lovingly as he could. To his surprise, he realized that he himself was crying… but they were also tears of joy. "Oh my God… what is happening to me?" he thought. 

He never realized that only one person could change his life and his attitude all of a sudden just because of the simple reason that he loved her. 

She leaned her head against his chest as she smiled and sighed heavily before closing her eyes and didn't say anything more.

Rufus looked down at her and frowned slightly when he realized that her eyes were closed and her breathing was slowing down. "T…Tifa?" he asked. He slowly withdrew her from him but still keeping his arms wrapped around her in a gentle embrace. He moved his right hand to her left cheek and gently patted it. "Tifa?" he repeated. Her head began to limp downward until it landed on his chest. He stopped when he heard her snoring. He smiled in relief. "Thank God…" he whispered happily before hugging her closer to him again. He looked up at the opening of the well and saw that the sun was almost down. It was beginning to get darker every second. "Now how do we get out of here?" he muttered glumly. 

Rufus just jerked slightly upon surprise when he saw someone peek from above them. "President Rufus? Are you in there?" 

He recognized the voice and he smiled. "Yes! I'm here, Reeve!" he called out.

"Is Miss Lockheart alright?" another voice called out from above.

Rufus looked back at Tifa then up again with a tired smile on his face. "Yes, she is! She's asleep! Give us a hand here, will you, Elena?" he called out as he reached for Tifa's hand and his thumb traveled to her wrist near her thumb and he was amazed when he felt her pulse beating.

*** 


End file.
